Updated: March 18, 2026 7:37:37 am IST

Dubai Abu Dhabi News Live: Loud explosions were heard across Dubai early Wednesday as Iran continued retaliatory attacks targeting Gulf countries, as well as fresh bombardments of missiles and drones targeting Israel and the region. Officials in Dubai said air defense systems were activated in response to incoming Iranian missile and drone threats, and said the UAE had faced more than 2,000 such attacks since the conflict began.

Several loud explosions were reported in Baghdad on Tuesday evening, as a security official confirmed a drone and rocket attack targeting the US embassy, ​​AFP reported.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward al-Kharj, whose debris fell near Prince Sultan Air Base, which is home to US personnel, without causing any damage, as Iran continued attacks on the Gulf nation.

UAE’s reaction to Iran attack

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held multiple talks with foreign ministers and senior officials to discuss growing regional developments and the fallout from Iran’s missile attacks targeting the UAE and other countries.

Anwar Gargash, a senior adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates, has said that Iran is wrong in its attacks on the UAE and other Gulf countries, warning that the attacks are bringing the region closer to Israel and the United States.

Gargash said the UAE is playing a role alongside the US in securing oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

“I can see us playing a role with other countries in ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz,” Gargash told Bloomberg. “It’s not only the responsibility of the United States, but also the responsibility of the countries in Asia, the countries in the region, the countries in Europe,” he said.

US attacks Iran’s missile sites near Hormuz

The United States said it struck Iranian missile sites near the strategic Strait of Hormuz after Tehran fired missiles across the region, vowing to avenge the killing of a top security chief, AFP reports.

The latest attack killed two people in Israel, although its air defenses have largely limited the number of casualties since the conflict escalated.

Amid moves by Iran to largely shut down the vital oil corridor that handles a fifth of global supply, the US said it had deployed some of its heaviest bunker-busting bombs to target nearby missile facilities.

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BJP led government formed on February 24, 2026 The Center approved the CPI(M)-led rule in Kerala’s proposal to change the name of the state to ‘Keralam’.Name used in Malayalam language. Nearly 50 years ago, the Congress government did the same for Tamil Nadu, when the DMK regime, which came to power by ousting the national party, wanted the title of the state changed from ‘Madras’ to Tamil Nadu.

It is common knowledge that “the moment of frisson”, as diplomat-turned-author R. Kannan describes in his conceptual book, dmk yearsOn July 18, 1967, about four months after the Dravidian chief had sensationally seized power, the Congress, which had ruled the state for 20 years, was overthrown. That day, the state assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a change in the state’s name.

But, as early as March 1961, the Congress government informed the Legislative Council and Assembly that it would henceforth, in official communications in Tamil, limit the use of the name ‘Chennai’ for the state capital and ‘Tamil Nadu’ for the state. R. Venkataraman, who was the then Industries Minister in the Congress regime, had called the state “Tamizh Nadu”.

However, there are many unknown or lesser known aspects of the chapter regarding the name change. It was on Tamil New Year Day (April 14, 1967) that the then Chief Minister CN Annadurai formally initiated the name change process when he switched on the state government’s new neon-lit name board on the Secretariat, which read: ‘Tamizhagha Arasu – Thalaimai Cheylagam’ (Government of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretariat).

The then Education Minister VR Nedunchezhiyan called for giving second place to English in name boards for the benefit of non-Tamils. The latter even said that the change was the “fruit of the longings” of the poet Subramaniam Bharati, who dreamed of a great and glorious future for Tamil and Tamil Nadu. The then Public Works (PWD) Minister M. Karunanidhi said that some critics had argued that the word ‘Tamizhagham’ did not find a place in ancient grammar texts. But, epic, Silappadikaram, mentioned the word, Hindu’s He is quoted as saying in the report published on April 16, 1967.

Only a year later, the central government sent a draft bill on name change to the DMK government for its response. Originally, the state was called ‘Tamilnad’ in Tamil. But, another report in this newspaper on April 24, 1968, said that the spelling was changed to ‘Tamil Nadu’ on the suggestion of the country’s former Governor-General C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji or CR). This time, the daily asked the then Law Minister S. Madhavan was cited.

Seven months later, when the Bill was to be introduced in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing, there was a lot of drama. At 3:18 pm on 21 November, Deputy Speaker Raghunath Keshav Khadilkar called on Union Home Minister YB Chavan to introduce the bill to rename Madras State, but the minister was “absent”. His junior ministers were also like this. The Deputy Chairman observed that Chavan was “not here”, the transcript of the House debate for the day states. Immediately, K. Rajaram, the Salem MP representing the DMK, suggested that Tenkasi (SC) Congress MP RS Arumugam introduce the bill. Another DMK MP, V. Krishnamurthy, later popularly known as Nellikuppam Krishnamurthy, complained that “the ministers should at least be here to push the bill.”

The Congress MP from Bombay-Central, RD Bhandare, also a lawyer and law professor, sought to find a way out by telling the Law Minister (P. Govinda Menon, an alumnus of Madras Law College and Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin during 1955–56) that he could introduce the Bill. But, the Deputy Chairman replied: “Unless he (Law Minister) writes to me that he would like to act in someone else’s place, I cannot allow it. If he writes, I will allow him.” When Krishnamurthy voluntarily introduced the bill, Khadilkar adjourned the House.

When the House resumed after about an hour, Samarendra Kundu, Praja Socialist Party MP from Balasore (Odisha), who later became Minister of State for External Affairs during the Janata rule (1977-79), lashed out at the ministers. Kundu said, “It is an insult to the House that ministers do not come prepared, they do not take the House seriously.” There was disruption in the Lok Sabha when they wanted the ministers to be dismissed.

Subsequently, a veteran communist leader Hirendranath Mukherjee (Calcutta – North East), popularly known as Hiren Mukherjee, rose to speak and he too did not spare the government. Pointing out that he has been a member of the House since 1952, Mukherjee said, “Something has happened which is without precedent.” He also consulted a person “who was associated with the Central Legislature (the Central Legislative Assembly, the predecessor of Parliament after independence)” and was told that there was no such precedent.

Referring to the Deputy Chairman’s decision to adjourn the House, the veteran communist called it “an expression of condemnation not on the politics of the government, but on the functioning of the government”. DMK MP from Mettur S. Kandappan said that when the House had to work on the bill, not a single minister from the Home Ministry was present. Although the Deputy Minister of Defense and Law was present along with other ministers, the Bill was not introduced. “I was wondering if he had any interest in passing this bill. If not, what stopped him from taking it up?”

Kundu was allowed to speak again, and held all Union ministers responsible for behaving in a “casual and disrespectful manner” with the House. Expressing his surprise, he said that the minister “cares about this Parliament.” “The ministers of this Congress government have completely snatched away the privileges of this House,” he said.

Pilu Modi, an active Swatantra Party MP and representative of Godhra, who is known for his sarcasm and scathing criticism of Indira Gandhi, commented sharply on the Congress government: “In the last few years, we have found an authoritarian tendency developing in this country, which has started seeing Parliament as merely a function of the government rather than its essence. We have found in the last few years that whatever is discussed in Parliament is not adequately considered by the government, and the government has Have started doing this.” Consider itself an entity separate from Parliament, and not deriving its proper powers from Parliament.” George Fernandes, the Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP) MP from Bombay South, who earned the sobriquet of “giant killer” by defeating former Union minister SK Patil in 1967, had also filed a notice of breach of privilege, which was rejected by the Chairman.

Chavan clarified to the House that he was in the Rajya Sabha when the bill was to be introduced for the first time. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Subhag Singh and Minister of State for Home VC Shukla expressed regret over the absence of the concerned ministers. Both described the episode of absence as an “omission”. “We will do our best to ensure that this is never repeated,” Singh assured the House.

Shukla reminded that in 1956, the state legislature, which had considered the issue of name change, had decided not to recommend any change. On April 4, 1961, the state government issued an order directing its officials that Tamil Nadu should be used as the name of Madras State in Tamil in all future official correspondence. Tracing the brief history of the bill, Shukla pointed out that the government was guided by the will of the legislature. He described Kandappan’s comments as “unfortunate”.

Menon clarified why the name change was being done only through legislation and not through an amendment to the Constitution. It quotes the essence of the Supreme Court’s 1967 decision IC Golak Nath and others. Versus State of Punjab and Ors. In the case, the Law Minister said that only the name change – from ‘Madras’ to ‘Tamil Nadu’ – was proposed and “does not entail any diminution of the fundamental rights guaranteed by Article 31A (which falls under Part III titled Fundamental Rights).”

Murasoli Maran (DMK), thanking the government for the Bill, said that for the last 15 years, the people of his state wanted their state to be “sanctified by their long history and the rich heritage of their language.”

Participating in the debate on the bill on 22 November, Chavan apologized for his absence the previous day. He revealed in the House that when they had discussed the topic, Chief Minister Annadurai had thought of some other “musical name”. But Annadurai had to come up with a name that everyone could understand. During his speech, Chavan referred to the visit of a Tamil scholar who, at his (Chavan’s) request, spoke in Tamil for about 15 minutes at an event and told the House that “it is a very musical language.” Describing the move as a simple expression of national pride, the Home Minister expressed hope that the new name will bring the state one step closer to the integration of the country.

The Hindu The next day the report said that “New ground was broken when Dr. VKRV Rao, a Union Minister (Transport and Shipping), also participated in the debate supporting the measure. He appealed to the ruling party in Madras to see that Hindi gets a respectable place in Tamil Nadu.”

This newspaper, in its editorial on November 25, 1968, cited the unanimous support in the Lok Sabha for this law and said that “Nobody outside Tamil Nadu is upset about having a name of their choice.” On 1 December, at what was then called the Children’s Theater and later renamed Kalaivanar Arangam (which stood on the present site of a recently built structure bearing the same name), the renaming of the state was celebrated with Chief Minister Annadurai making his first public appearance since his throat cancer diagnosis. When he stood up to speak he was given a standing ovation, this newspaper reported on December 2, 1968. He called for steps to facilitate “Tamils ​​living as Tamils” and to secure much-needed changes in the political sphere for the state within the framework of the constitutional framework of the country.

On 5 December, the Rajya Sabha adopted the bill. The new name came into effect on January 14, 1969, the day of ‘Thai Pongal’.

Updated: March 18, 2026 7:10:26 am IST

US Iran War Live Updates: Iran fired missiles carrying cluster munitions at Israel on Wednesday in retaliation for the killing of its security chief Ali Larijani, whom Tehran’s state media said was “martyred in the ongoing US-Israeli aggression” against the Islamic republic. Along with Larijani, his son Mortaza Larijani and deputy for national security Alireza Bayat were also killed in the attacks.

Before Iran’s confirmation of Larijani’s killing, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had announced that the Iranian security chief had been “eliminated” in the overnight raid, which also killed General Gholam Reza Soleimani, commander of the country’s paramilitary Basij unit.

On the deaths of Iranian officials, Trump said, “Their leaders are gone. This is an evil group.”

Meanwhile, the United States said late Tuesday that it struck Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz with “multiple 5,000-pound deep penetration munitions.” US Central Command said Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles at these sites “pose a threat to international shipping in the strait”.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran informed the global nuclear watchdog that a projectile hit the complex of its Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday evening.

Indian flagged oil tanker reached India

A second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached India early Tuesday after safely sailing from the Strait of Hormuz battlefield. The government confirmed that the tanker reached Gujarat’s Kandla port around 2:30 am on Tuesday.

The first ship Shivalik reached Mundra port in Gujarat on Monday.

The two ships were reportedly carrying around 97,712 tonnes of LPG – equivalent to one day’s requirement of cooking gas in India.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways also said efforts are underway to ensure the safe passage of the remaining 22 Indian-flagged ships carrying 611 seafarers who are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry said the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) is closely monitoring the operations in coordination with shipowners, agencies and Indian embassies.

Global crisis and oil prices

Oil prices rose as Iran confirmed the death of its security chief Ali Larijani, as the US-Israel-Iran war escalates and tensions rise across the Middle East region.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was trading near $96 a barrel after rising nearly 3 per cent on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Brent closed above $103, Bloomberg reported.

Trump’s national counterterrorism chief resigns

US President Donald Trump is facing an internal crisis, there is a sharp reaction from within his country regarding the attacks and war against Iran. The latest in this series is the resignation of Joe Kent, head of the US National Counterterrorism Center, who advised Trump on “terrorist” threats. Kent said Iran poses “no imminent threat” to the US, claiming that Washington “started this war because of pressure from Israel and its powerful US lobby”.

Trump responded to Kent’s resignation by saying it was “good that he’s out because he said Iran is not a threat”. He called Kent a “good guy”, whom he said was “very weak on security”.

Israel attacks Lebanon

Israeli strikes reportedly hit central Beirut and the city’s southern suburbs early Wednesday, with Lebanese media reporting that the raids came without warning.

One attack took place on an apartment in the central Zukaq al-Blatt neighborhood, where last week Israeli forces attacked the Beirut branch of the Hezbollah-linked financial company al-Qard al-Hassan.

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